Total pages in book: 159
Estimated words: 149470 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 747(@200wpm)___ 598(@250wpm)___ 498(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 149470 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 747(@200wpm)___ 598(@250wpm)___ 498(@300wpm)
“I know what I choose.” The Braxian’s deep voice reminded me of the bellow of a bull. “I say we fuck ‘em up!”
The rest of the males murmured ascent and then began to gather around Shadrack. The Korrigon Pet Finder was a good three feet taller than any of them…but he was also severely outnumbered. And just because the alien males surrounding him were seven feet tall instead of ten feet didn’t make them any less muscular or any less angry.
“Wait!” he gasped as the alien males began closing in on him. “Wait, please! My Lord HighBorn—don’t let them do this to me!”
Sir gave him a scathing look.
“You’re getting off lightly. I would punish you myself but I’ve already broken enough of my own rules in dealing with you, scum.”
I had no idea what he meant about that and I didn’t dare to ask. Before I knew what was happening, he had leaned down and scooped me up in his arms and was striding down the corridor and out into the light.
I was once more in Sir’s power, and I had no idea what was about to happen to me. I only knew he was a lot more powerful than I had realized before.
And that scared the shit out of me.
EIGHTEEN
ELLI
“How badly are you hurt?” Sir asked, when he got me back to the ship. He laid me gently down on the bed and sat beside me as he waited for my answer. His mouth was tight and he still looked angry—though at least his eyes had gone back to full-black instead of white or silver.
“I…I don’t know,” I mumbled. The entire left side of my face felt swollen and hot and I still tasted blood when I talked. “He slapped me,” I explained, pointing to the hurt part of my face. “And choked me—trying to get…get the collar off.”
Sir closed his eyes briefly and breathed deeply, inhaling through his nose. I thought he looked like a man who was counting to ten to try and control his temper. At last he opened his eyes again and nodded at me.
“I’ll synthesize some healing wraps,” he said and got up.
“Wait,” I called hesitantly as he reached the doorway. “Sir, I don’t…don’t know how much you know about how…how he caught me. I just…”
I trailed off when he turned back, his eyes flashing from full-black to full-white for just a moment.
“I know everything.” His voice was a low, rumbling growl. “But we will not speak of it. Not yet.”
Then he walked through the doorway, leaving me on the bed, wondering if I was about to get crumpled up like the metal gate back in the spaceport.
NINETEEN
SIR
I was so angry I could barely speak. At my rival, the Overlord of the Southern Continent—the greedy bastard was always looking for new worlds to exploit and ruin! At the fucking Pet Finder scum who had nearly stolen little one from me and who had hurt her delicate little body. And yes, I admitted to myself, I was angry at little one herself.
How dare she run away from me like that and put herself into harm’s way? I could have lost her forever—she might have been sold to another and formed a bond with some other Master!
The very thought of it—of my own little pet forming a bond and a sexual bond at that—with some other male, made me angriest of all. So angry that I had broken my personal rules against Mental Manipulation not once but twice in the space of the past ahrn.
What the fuck was wrong with me? I had never felt this possessive of a female before. I had already had two matings—this was called for, to try and produce an heir for my throne. Neither had resulted in children, however, and I had parted with both of the HighBorn females I had mated with amicably after our respective contracts had expired.
Those women had been my equals—women of my own rank and species and yet I had left them without a second glance and no emotional pain whatsoever. Not so with little one. The thought of her with another male drove me nearly crazy with possessive anger. What was wrong with me, to care so much for a female who was nothing but a pet?
I had no answers as I stalked into the food prep area and over to the Matter Synthesizer. I jammed the Control band over my temples and closed my eyes, but my first few attempts to get healing wraps came out like badly formed lumps of clay.
I took some deep breaths, trying to calm myself. I couldn’t heal little one unless I could clear my mind to interface with the Matter Synthesizer, I reminded myself. And we would deal with her escape attempt later. Right now I just needed to synthesize some healing wraps for her face.